United States President Joseph R. Biden expressed his confidence to further flourish the partnership with Bangladesh for next 50 years and beyond as the two countries celebrated five decades of diplomatic ties on Monday.
"I am confident our partnership will continue to flourish for the next 50 years and beyond," he said in the letter sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Marking the day, Foreign Minister Dr Abdul Momen is visiting Washington now. His counterpart Antony Blinken in a video message said he looks forward to seeing what people of the two countries will build together in the decades ahead as "we continue to follow that star of freedom".
The United States recognised Bangladesh on 4 April 1972, months after the liberation of the country on 16 December 1971.
The US president said that the drive, resourcefulness, and innovation of Bangladeshis - rebuilding after the 1971 war and now forging a path of economic growth and development - serve as a model for the rest of the world.
"We are proud of our partnership on development, economic growth and counterterrorism," Biden said adding that the two countries work together to address the climate crisis, help the Rohingya survivors of genocide and support UN peace keeping worldwide.
He said Bangladeshis and Americans alike share the ideals of democracy, equality, and respect for human rights that are the foundation for healthy, secure, and prosperous societies.
He said the two nations are connected through familial, academic and commercial ties since 1958, when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman participated in a 30-day exchange programme in the US.
"Our defense cooperation is stronger than ever," the US president said, adding that the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy are “invaluable partners in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region, contributing to the regional effort to end the trafficking of people and illicit drugs.”
Biden said the US and Bangladesh together met the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic while Washington has donated more than 61 million vaccine doses and provided over 131 million US dollars in assistance to Dhaka.
In a video message, Secretary of State Blinken said on April, 1972, President Richard Nixon sent a letter to Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Rahman, establishing diplomatic ties, predicting that the ties and goodwill between our people would grow for years to come.
"Fifty years later, our countries collaborate on virtually every issue that matters to our people and the ties between Bangladeshis and Americans grow deeper and more intertwined with every generation," he said.
Blinken said the two countries have forged partnerships to improve public health, strengthening local health systems, bringing down maternal mortality and fighting COVID-19 in Bangladesh with 61 million doses of safe, effective vaccines provided by the US.
In 2021, he said, the US bought more Bangladeshi products than any other country did, representing some $8.3 billion. "We encourage Bangladesh to make progress on workers' rights to deepen our robust economic partnership," he added.
The Secretary of state said the US and Bangladesh are tackling the climate crisis together, strengthening the resilience of communities that are already being affected by rising sea levels and more severe storms.
"We address humanitarian crises and conflicts together, from responding to natural disasters to supporting Bangladesh's role as one of the largest contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations," he said.
He commended Bangladesh for hosting nearly 1,000,000 displaced Rohingyas and for continuing to offer support for those efforts. "We're working together to help Rohingya who have fled genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the military in Burma," he added.
Blinken further said Bangladeshis have made tremendous contributions to the US for generations.
